We assume many of our readers after viewing photos of this unusual Moscow apartment will say “How can somebody live here at all?”. And indeed, the interiors of this dwelling in a pre-revolutionary house in the city center are full of rich and very bold shades – so interesting to see once, but not everyone will be ready to look at such a scheme every day. But the owner of the apartment, designer Irina Markman feels quite harmoniously in such an environment, as she always imagined her beloved home in this way. It is interesting that Irina participated actively in the renovation process: for example, the walls in the living room were covered with watercolor paper, and she manually painted each sheet by hand. How do you like this extravagant home?
Designer Irina Markman has long dreamed of an apartment with high ceilings in the center of Moscow, found it and designed it, embodying her wildest ideas.
INTERIOR16 JANUARY 2019LULY LUSENKOV
Designer Irina Markman.
Apartment with ceilings of more than four meters Irina Markman was looking for a very long time. “Since childhood I was not indifferent to this - my grandmother has high ceilings in the house, and when you are still small, the surrounding space seems much larger than it actually is. That apartment was endless for me, as a child I practically traveled there, ”recalls Irina.
The dream apartment was found in a two-story pre-revolutionary building with ceilings of 4.2 m, although in the last eighty years nothing has changed in it. The harsh reality was that Markman had only two months to repair. She says: “I was ready to move even to some kind of semi-repair, just not to experience the difficulties of several journeys.”
Short deadlines did not prevent the designer from implementing various bold ideas, for example, in an unusual way to arrange the walls in the living room. “I really wanted to paste over them with emerald green watercolor paper and was not too lazy to paint each sheet by hand, calling friends for help,” says Irina. Markman also painted the walls in the corridor on her own. “I once heard the phrase of one artist:“ Color is my salvation from fate ”. It responded to me at that time. I remember how, waking up, I left the bedroom and this bright ornament made me very happy and inspired warm feelings. In my opinion, the interior is not about filling the rooms with furniture, it carries impressions, experiences and moods, ”she recalls.
Most of the furniture in the apartment is made to order, there are also quite a few vintage items found by Irina at flea markets all over the world. For example, two textured armchairs, one of which is now standing in the bedroom, the designer saw in Prague, bought and brought to Moscow with great adventures. From that trip, she also brought the vase of her favorite designer Ettore Sottsassa, whom she hunted for a long time and finally bought. “Its interior, unlike the client, has no deadlines, it develops gradually,” says Markman.
In addition to the design, Irina has two passions - books and shoes, for them she carefully thought out the storage systems. “Another story from my childhood - my grandfather, on the day of his salary, necessarily bought new books on art, which he then flipped through for a long time every day, and always called me to join him. So his passion was passed on to me, says the designer. “Now, in every city, I first of all run to the book for some new album.” With the storage of shoes all the more difficult - for a large collection of rough shoes Markman bought heavy metal vintage racks, which have compartments for each pair.
This apartment is remarkable not only interior. “I have amazing neighbors. One was presented to me as a musician, and I rashly decided that I would not make noise insulation in the bathroom, but would listen to how he played in the evenings, ”says Markman. “As a result, he was not a musician, but a guitar tuner and also a joker, so all I hear in the bathroom is endless swearing to the strumming of guitars - no poetry!
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